Sunday, July 22, 2012

Crew Round 18, Win Over DC

There was a combined total of 30 shots taken between DC and Columbus, but Chris Birchall's goal right after the break ended up the only goal for either side.

Another big crowd on hand in Columbus. 17k+.

1ST HALF
Columbus looked to be in control and DC never quite looked comfortable. United's Chris Korb, another Northeastern Ohio boy, appeared to be the man on a mission but his team didn't seem to be able to muster up quality in front of goal.

United's open style of play helped the Crew look better than in games previous but Columbus couldn't find that finishing quality either.

2ND HALF
Straight off the whistle the Crew came out aggressive and was able to grab one not more than 2 minutes in. Josh Williams found Arietta in the middle who forwarded pretty on to Birchall for the finish. Two quick ground passes right up the middle, one touch, shot... goal. Direct and good.

DC turned up the pressure from there and created excellent chances, but again, the quality to finish just wasn't there. Once the 75th minute arrived the game turned into little bursts of energy here and there. Chris Korb and Long Tan had great chances right at the end but this game didn't deserve those to go and they didn't.

THE END
• Cole Grossman deserves special recognition. His play (before his leg tightened up) was excellent. Two Cole starts, two impressive wins (Seattle and DC). He's looked better than Milovan Mirosevic in a number of ways. We'll chalk that up to being more familiar with Robert Warzycha's system... for now.

• Chad Marshall looked a lot more active and energetic than last week (until he went down with, sigh, an ankle injury).

• Beside Marshall was Carlos Mendes, who easily played his best game of the year for the Crew. He looked like a MLS top tier defender; understated, intelligent and aggressive.

• On United's side; Chris Korb's future will be bright if keeps playing like this.

• Dilly Duka had one of those games that makes everyone get excited about his future. I want to see 5 games in a row during the meat of a season. This season, preferably.

• Speaking of former Generations Adidas players; No Tchani in the starting XI for the first time in a while.

• Important to note again that DC's style of play helps opposing teams look better in the middle (DC practically abandons the middle third during large swaths of the match). The Crew get another shot at KC, a club that handcuffed them last time, this weekend. We shall see if Warzycha gives this bunch another chance.